About Curae

With nearly two decades of experience, Rebecca Kennedy has collaborated with diverse collections and cultural institutions to elevate the preservation and management of collections. Following the completion of an MA in Museum Studies from The George Washington University, Rebecca dedicated eleven years to preservation and collections management at the Smithsonian Institution before founding Curae in 2018. 

Rebecca earned certification in First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis from ICCROM in 2016, equipping her to impart expertise to other cultural institutions regarding collections emergencies. She has held leadership roles as the former chair of the ARCS and AIC Emergency Committees, the DC Alliance for Response Steering Committee, and as an inaugural member of the Smithsonian’s Preparedness and Response in Collections Emergency (PRICE) group. Over recent years, she has adeptly responded to numerous institutional and national emergencies, offering invaluable support to cultural institutions.

Rebecca contributes actively to committees within the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and Association of Registrars and Collections Specialist (ARCS), demonstrating her commitment to bolstering the cultural institutions and their workers. Additionally, she serves as an editor for the  Collections Journal and imparts her knowledge as an instructor on Collections Management for the George Washington University. As a peer-reviewed Professional Associate (PA) of AIC, Rebecca garners recognition for her contributions as an allied professional within the conservation community.